The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was April 1, 2013. The deadline for objections to nomination petitions for primary election candidates was April 5, 2013. Independent candidates wishing to run in the general election are required to submit their nomination petitions by June 4, 2013. The deadline for objections to nomination petitions for independent general election candidates is June 10, 2013.[1][2]

Nomination petitions must contain the signatures of at least 100 voters in the legislative district. Candidates are required to disclose any criminal convictions.[3]

Majority control

Heading into the November 5 election, the Democratic Party holds the majority in the New Jersey State Senate:

Campaign contributions

This chart shows how many candidates ran for state senate in New Jersey in past years and the cumulative amount of campaign contributions in state senate races, including contributions in both primary and general election contests. All figures come from Follow The Money.[4]

Total contributions, New Jersey State Senate

Year

Number of candidates

Total contributions

2011

97

$27,085,886

2007

98

$30,156,484

2003

123

$19,785,597

2001

104

$18,903,480

1997

72

$10,941,283

During the 2011 election, the total contributions to the 97 Senate candidates was $27,085,886. The top 10 contributors were:[4]

2011 Donors, New Jersey State Senate

Donor

Amount

Senate Republican Majority of New Jersey

$1,079,798

Whelan for Senate Cooper & Tyner for Assembly

$716,500

New Jersey Republican Party

$471,297

Union City First

$245,323

New Jersey Regional Council of Carpenters

$209,200

Cmte to Elect Lesniak Cryan & Quijano

$198,225

New Jersey Association of Realtors

$156,550

New Jersey State Laborers

$135,800

New Jersey Education Association

$134,100

New Jersey Automobile Dealers Assocation

$122,893

Qualifications

In order to be a candidate to run for the New Jersey State Senate, a candidate must:

Be a citizen of the United States

Reside for no less than four years in the district the candidate plans to represent.

Impact of redistricting

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, New Jersey's population increased from 8,414,350 to 8,791,894 between 2000 and 2010.[7]

The New Jersey Redistricting Commission is responsible for redistricting. This is one of 11 commissions nationwide that is responsible for redistricting. This redistricting commission is comprised of 10 members, chosen by the following:

If a plan is not in place, the New Jersey Supreme Court selects an 11th member. For the third consecutive decade, Rutgers professor Alan Rosenthal was chosen as the tie-breaking member. Rosenthal was unable to get the commission to agree on a compromise map and therefore had to cast a tie-breaking vote. He ultimately went with the Democrats' map, stating that it "reflected the current distribution of partisan preferences in New Jersey."[8]